Are We Really Studying Organizational Change? Next Steps in Moving Forward

This future scope provokes exploration on the coherence between the ontology and epistemology of organizational change, urging scholars and practitioners to critically align what is claimed as “change” with what is empirically studied. Despite decades of theorizing, the field remains fragmented, often conflating perceptions and evaluations with change itself. We advocate for methodological pluralism, triangulating multiple indicators—structural, behavioral, cultural, processual, and performative—to capture the multifaceted nature of change. Doing so, we propose five corrective actions: (a) integrating process and variance approaches, (b) aligning metrics with ontological assumptions, (c) triangulating data sources, (d) assessing alpha/beta/gamma change, and (e) matching temporal design to the pace of change. By foregrounding the complexity and dynamism of organizational change, the paper calls for renewed commitment to methodological rigor and reflective practice, ensuring that future research and consultancy genuinely advance understanding and impact in the field.